Pete & The Pirates / One Thousand Pictures

Pete And The Pirates
One Thousand Pictures
(Stolen Recordings)
* * * * *

Pete & The Pirates received a rare kind of hurrah! for an indie band when they released their debut album in 2008, and the good news is this: they haven't cowered away from delivering an equally impressive sequel.

What's more, there's eclecticism to boot – for 'One Thousand Pictures' takes on some unusually ripe reference points, but boldly acts to create a cohesive whole. The vocals of Thomas Sanders are as distinctive as ever, while the music offers a generous clarity with cheeky melodies, phazer-effects and an occasionally skiffly rhythm section.

‘Washing Powder’ leads us in with a rare vulnerability; Sanders' depiction of inanimate objects which trigger painful memories works as a flip-reverse to The Maccabees' approach. Playful affection is never far away though, and ‘Come To The Bar’ shares with the Mystery Jets a sense of summery giddiness; it's a right old pop belter.

‘Cold Black Kitty’ is an unnerving warning not to cross paths with vampiric lovers and their draining demands, while ‘Blood Gets Thin’ similarly takes on the subject of a femme fatale, but with a much more stealthy approach; with its killer riff and fuzz bass, it's reminiscent of early Franz Ferdinand.

Pete and the Pirates are obviously unafraid of invention. Tracks like ‘Things That Go Bump’ fizzle out of focus like burning Polaroids, while album highlight 'Half Moon Street' creates the oddly euphoric miserablism of Suede, with its honest lyricism ("I know we’ve got nothing in common now, just our shared love of drinking”) and guitars that drag you up to dance to the truth.

If the band can keep up this form, it's fair to say that there's a place in the cannon of great British guitar bands for them. We tip our hats.